2i 4 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the palm of the hand, as is too commonly done. If it is snuffed too 

 forcibly, it is forced into the upper part of the nasal cavity, where 

 it is very irritating, often causing headache and irritation of the 

 eyes. The best and simplest way to use the soda solution is to 

 bury the nose entirely in the cup of fluid, and then gently suck 

 the solution into the nose, at the same time holding the mouth 

 widely open. There is no risk of choking if the mouth is open 

 and the head thrown forward, as it necessarily is in doing this, 

 for all the fluid will run out through the mouth. A few trials 

 will readily demonstrate the advantage of this method over all 

 others. 



Probably all the laity, so to speak, when first they realize that 

 their hearing is diminished, believe that the wax has accumulated 

 and has blocked the auditory canal. The sensation to them is 

 certainly one of obstruction, and they seem justified in picking at 

 the canal of the ear in attempting to remove the obstructing 

 substance. 



With very rare exceptions, deafness is never due to wax alone. 

 In the majority of cases it is really due to obstruction, but this 

 is very much farther in the head than any patient can reach, and 

 often of too dense a nature and too long duration for even the 

 specialist in otology to successfully eradicate. Even where there 

 certainly exists a mass of wax entirely blocking the auditory 

 canal, with it is always associated an underlying catarrh of the 

 drum of the ear without any discharge from the ears whatever. 

 The effect upon the hearing is like that caused by closure of the 

 canal, and wax alone is suspected. In the effort to remove the 

 suspected obstruction, matches, toothpicks, hair-pins, etc., are used 

 in the ears, and perhaps a little of the normal wax which belongs 

 in the canal is removed, and the patient's suspicion seems to be 

 verified. 



It must be emphasized right here that the ear-scoops and ear- 

 sponges for sale in all drug-shops are worse than useless ; they 

 are positively dangerous. Many are the ears that have been in- 

 curably injured by such instruments. There is more wisdom 

 than humor in the old saying that we ought to put nothing in 

 our ears but our elbows. At any rate, let no one put anything 

 into the auditory canal but the end of the little finger wrapped 

 with a handkerchief or a towel. 



If deafness is of sudden occurrence, accompanied by a dull, 

 rumbling sound in the ear, similar to that caused by temporarily 

 closing the canal of the ear by the finger, with a sensation of full- 

 ness of the canal, and absolutely painless, obstruction from ac- 

 cumulated wax may be suspected. But there is no means of 

 positively determining this, except by having the ear carefully 

 examined by some competent observer. 



